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Horror-steeped card game Forbidden Solitaire shows how a strong theme can elevate even decade-old mechanics
PC

Horror-steeped card game Forbidden Solitaire shows how a strong theme can elevate even decade-old mechanics

Like a tag team of oiled snakes that have entered a wrestling contest, theme is a difficult quality to pin down. A game can be well designed, but if it lacks a coherence between those mechanics and its appearance, narrative, and its framing, there is a dissonance that can be hard to ignore. I realise I've just stepped into an old argument by using the word 'dissonance', but Hocking was right, games that don't cohere can be jarring. A developer may desire that sensation of discomfort, but often

Warframe's fantasy-pilled sister Soulframe finally goes open to all this November, though Digital Extremes are "nervous" about certain changes
PC

Warframe's fantasy-pilled sister Soulframe finally goes open to all this November, though Digital Extremes are "nervous" about certain changes

Warframe creators Digital Extremes have announced that their free-to-play fantasy RPG Soulframe will be available for everyone to download on 6th November, after two years in closed alpha. Finally, you serfs without "prelude" keys will be able to fire up Soulframe.com and make sense of my ranting about the sleeping animals on the lobby screen. The new "open prelude" will land shortly before the game's 17th major update, Verse of the Veilands, which lets you grow your Omen wolfpup allies into

Wooshy wuxia actioner Phantom Blade Zero is sharp enough on the Steam Machine, if blunted on the Steam Deck
PC

Wooshy wuxia actioner Phantom Blade Zero is sharp enough on the Steam Machine, if blunted on the Steam Deck

It would appear that Phantom Blade Zero (Phantom Blade 0? Zero? Let’s go with Zero) demanding more gigs than a mismanaged stadium is doing little to stop people playing the thing. It therefore stands to reason at least some folks will want to run S-Game Studio’s lightly Soulsy sword-em-up on the Steam Machine, so let us now examine how said GabeCube stands up to its effects-heavy martial artistry. With some settings proposals, natch. Read more